Prime Minister does not rule out the return of former minister Radu Musteața to public service
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan regrets the resignation of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Radu Musteața, but considers his decision to be "a test of political maturity and fairness", following the scandal related to information about his political past. At the same time, the Head of the Executive mentioned that he would like the former minister to remain in the public service, appreciating him as one of the few managers capable of managing complex institutions.
"I welcome Mr. Musteața's decision. I believe he acted responsibly in order not to affect trust in the entire Government. At the same time, I regret that it has come to this. He made a mistake and I am very frustrated by what happened," the Prime Minister said in a press conference on Tuesday, July 28.
According to the Head of Government, the controversy was not only caused by the fact that his affiliation with the former Democratic Party was revealed, but also by the way he reacted to the emergence of this information.
"If you ask me, his mistake started with a small lie, which turned into a big lie and, after that, he didn't know what to do. He admitted these things publicly," Tofan said.
However, the prime minister insisted that Radu Musteața is a valuable manager, recalling his work at the head of the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA).
"He is one of the few managers who managed to clean up ANSA. We need good managers. We do not have a long list of civil servants who can be put on complicated fronts and deliver results. I am sorry that such a stupid mistake led to this situation," the prime minister said.
Asked if Radu Musteața could return to the head of the National Food Safety Agency, Vasile Tofan avoided a direct answer, but pointed out that he would like him to remain in public administration.
"I will not comment now, but I would like Mr. Musteața to remain in the public service, in a position. Once again, we do not have so many good managers who can be put on complicated files," the prime minister said.
In the same conference, Prime Minister Tofan refused to comment on the names being floated in the public space for the position of Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, including those of Vasile Șarban and Alexandr Slusari.
However, he mentioned that the Executive will announce a candidate “as soon as possible”, emphasizing that “a few days” are needed to make a responsible decision.
Radu Musteața announced his resignation on July 24, just two days after the inauguration of the Vasile Tofan-led government. The decision came after it was revealed that he had previously been part of the former Democratic Party.
Initially, Musteața denied his ties to the party, but later apologized for lying after his signed application to join the party was published.
He said he had only attended a few meetings organized by former Liberal Democrat MP Nae Simion Pleșca, after he had also joined the Democratic Party.
